Around The Circle

Discover the best of Charlotte NC with Charlotte Circle! From local businesses and exclusive deals to exciting events, hidden gems, and fun things to do, we bring you the latest happenings around the Queen City. Stay connected, explore more, and never miss what Charlotte has to offer!

The Charlotte Auto Show is back, and it's bigger than ever! Join us November 19–22, 2026, at the Charlotte Convention Center for an all-access experience featuring dozens of vehicles and brands under one roof.

Get behind the wheel on the Indoor Test Track, test drive the latest models at the Outdoor Ride & Drive, and marvel at one-of-a-kind custom builds on Built Different Blvd. There's something for everyone — from Hops & Horsepower to family fun, plus a charity concert supporting 30 local non-profits.   

Kids 12 and under get in free, making this the perfect outing for the whole family. Don't miss your chance to experience the future of driving!

Charlotte, NC has so many new neighborhoods popping up that locals have stopped asking "Where do you live?" and started asking "What does your neighborhood's logo look like?"

Apparently "a minimalist mountain silhouette over a craft beer glass" counts as a zip code now.

Get ready for a holiday tradition like no other! The Southern Christmas Show returns November 11–22, 2026, at The Park Expo and Conference Center in Charlotte. Now in its 59th year, this beloved event draws over 95,000 shoppers and 400 vendors offering holiday décor, apparel, toys, treats, jewelry, food, wine, and so much more.

This year's show also features a special appearance by Christmas movie star Marcus Rosner on Friday, November 20 at 2:30 PM on the LeafFilter Entertainment Stage, followed by an autograph signing. Plus, enjoy Early Bird VIP access on Saturday, November 14 from 8:00–10:00 AM.

Named 'Best of the Best' two years running, this is the best-attended holiday show in North America — perfect for finding unique gifts and soaking up the Christmas spirit!

Skip the Uptown Parking Nightmare with the LYNX Blue Line Backdoor

Most people groan about parking in Charlotte's Uptown district and either pay a fortune or circle for twenty minutes. The insider move is to drive to the Sharon Road West station at the far southwestern end of the LYNX Blue Line, where the park-and-ride lot is almost always half-empty even on Panthers or Knights game days. You get a free parking spot, a short train ride straight into the heart of Uptown, and you bypass every traffic jam on I-277.

The real trick locals know: the Blue Line trains run extended hours on event nights, so you never have to sweat the last train home. Meanwhile, the folks who drove in are still sitting in a post-game traffic crawl on South Tryon. It takes one try before this becomes your permanent Charlotte cheat code.

Hear Ye, Hear Ye !!

Charlotte's oldest brewery is once again turning its biergarten into one of the city's most beloved holiday destinations. Olde Mecklenburg Brewery has brought back its annual Christmas Market for the twelfth consecutive year, drawing thousands of visitors each weekend through the holiday season.

The experience is designed to feel like a classic European winter market — think glowing lights, crackling firepits, and the warm aroma of spiced drinks drifting through the air. More than fifty local vendors fill the grounds with handcrafted goods ranging from artisan candles and homemade sweets to woodworking and original artwork, making it a genuine destination for shoppers looking to support small businesses rather than big-box retailers.

One seasonal highlight is the brewery's Gluhwein, a traditional German hot spiced wine blended with clove, cinnamon, star anise, and citrus — the kind of drink that makes standing outside in December feel intentional rather than inconvenient. The market also features holiday beer specials to round out the festive atmosphere.

This year carries a little extra energy behind it. After expanding to a second location at The Bowl in Ballantyne in 2024, the brewery is now running the market simultaneously across both sites — and the combined foot traffic has been remarkable. The LoSo biergarten location alone has already accumulated what organizers are describing as a warehouse's worth of donated coats through an ongoing winter drive aimed at keeping local kids warm.

That coat drive runs through December 23rd, and anyone who drops off a donation at either brewery location walks away with a complimentary pint of beer. Last year, donations filled an entire brewery truck — with two locations now in play, organizers are quietly optimistic that record won't survive the season.

It's True!

Charlotte is growing faster than any other major city in the country — and the numbers make that case plainly. Between mid-2024 and mid-2025, the city added more than 20,700 residents, pushing its population to just under a million. That numeric gain outpaced sprawling giants like Houston, Fort Worth, Nashville, and Atlanta, cementing Charlotte's place as the 14th most populous city in the United States.

But the story that may matter even more is unfolding in the smaller communities ringing the city — particularly just across the South Carolina border. Fort Mill has grown by nearly 58% since 2020, ranking among the top ten fastest-growing towns of its size in the entire country. In a single year, it added roughly 2,460 people, a growth rate approaching 7%. Nearby York, a smaller community that recently crossed the 10,000-resident threshold for the first time, posted an 8% year-over-year increase — the highest single-year rate in the broader metro region.

Five of the seven fastest-growing communities in the Charlotte region since 2020 sit on the South Carolina side of the state line. Analysts point to cheaper land, more housing inventory, and suburban amenities that increasingly rival what urban centers once offered exclusively. Aging millennials and newcomers chasing affordability are accelerating the trend.

Still, the pace is showing some strain. Fort Mill temporarily paused accepting certain development applications, a sign that rapid growth can outrun a town's appetite for change. Experts warn that as expansion pushes into communities unaccustomed to it, local politics will increasingly revolve around how — and whether — to keep welcoming new arrivals.

Moosehead Grill, tucked along Montford Drive in Charlotte, has earned a growing chorus of praise from food writers and wing enthusiasts alike — and now holds a statewide title to match. A prominent regional food publication recently declared the restaurant home to the best chicken wings in North Carolina, a distinction that two separate national outlets had already handed down independently.

The star of the menu is a signature blackened wing recipe — a preparation rooted in Southern culinary tradition — that wins fans through bold seasoning rather than heavy sauce. The approach prizes restraint and technique over novelty, and the result is something locals and visitors tend to agree on immediately. Multiple national roundups have called these wings not just the best in the state, but among the finest anywhere.

The menu doesn't stop at the classic preparation. Adventurous combinations — think blood orange paired with ghost pepper, or a peanut butter and jelly riff — are designed to get guests ordering in rounds and sharing across the table. The restaurant has reportedly collected wing competition titles spanning more than a decade, across local and national events.

Moosehead Grill is open most days starting at midday and runs late into the night, making it an easy destination for both lunch crowds and after-hours wing cravings.